Steering knob for automobile steering wheels



Dec. 6, 1938. H. P. HANSEN STEERING KNOB FOR AUTOMOBILE STEERING WHEELS Filed Oct. 25, 1937 INVENTOR. HAMs.P.U NsE.M.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 6, 1938 STEERING KNOB Foa AUTOMOBILE s'mnn- 7 ma WHEELS Hans P. Hansen, Yonkers, N. Y. Applicationflctober 25, 1937, Serial No. 170,753

'2 Claims. (Cl. 74-557) The knob, which is made with a bore ii there- 5 may be accomplished, as the said device will in, is mounted upon a cylindrical unit. Said prevent any slip ofthe hands, and any groping unit comprises a tubular sleeve i2 threaded into relative to the operation of the steering wheel, said bore; this sleeve i2 is in turn adapted to i introducing at the same time the feature and slide upon an inner cylindrical tube l3, which element of rest and relaxation into the otherterminates below in apertured lug members it 10 wise quite often strenuous pursuit of driving a adapted to be turnably attached to the base l5, car. and secured to the latter by means of a screw Incidentally, my device will also serve as a it, as shown especially in the Figures 5 and 6. guide, or indicator as to the exact position of The tube i3 is closed at its bottom, except for the front wheels of a car, after the latter has an opening l1 therein. A plunger [8 is arranged 15 been placed near the curb, or in parked position, in said inner tube l3 and adapted to extend or and will be especially useful in backing up a project below the bottom of the latter through car, or placing the same in position along the the opening l1. The plunger has mounted therecurb. on a spring 2i, which rests its lower end upon My device as shown hereinwill also eliminate a seat 20 formed upon the lower end of said 20 the possibility of catching the sleeve of the driver plunger. of the car, when operating the steering wheel In order to obtain the sufiicient spring action with my device thereon, as the said device, if of this device, a disk member 22 is screwed into desired, may be put into a relatively inoperative, the upper part of the tube l3; said disk is formed or inactive position, due to the special construcwith a central opening 23 therein, of a diameter 25 tion of the same. large enough to permit the plunger l8 to move With the above and other objects in view, this freely therein; said disk member 22 will naturally invention consists of the novel features of conrestrict the upward movement of the spring 2i, struction, combination, and arrangement of parts, when the latter is compressed during an uphereinafter fully described, claimed and illusward movement of the plunger, as when a pull 3o trated in the accompanying drawing forming is exerted upon the knob iii. A flanged disk part of this specification, and in which similar 24 is loosely mounted upon the upper partof characters of reference indicate corresponding the tube l3, said disk 24 is also formed with a parts in all views, and in which: central opening lar e enough to permit the Figure 1 is a top plan view, showing my device plunger to move freely therein. Above said 35 attached to an automobile steering wheel. flanged disk 24 a washer 25 and nut 26 are Figures 2, 3 and 4 are side elevational views, threaded upon the upper end of the plunger i8, showing the different positions of said steering whereby to secure said flanged disk 24 and sleeve knob, with respect to the steering wheel. l2 in relative position with respect to the cylin- Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view on the drical tube l3, thus completing said unit in order 4 line 5-5 in Figure 1. to obtain the spring action desired.

Figure 6 is a detail elevational view, illustrat- It may be noted that instead of the employing the manner of securing the knob proper to ment of the upper washer and nut, a similar its base. effect could be obtained by the use of a suitable Figure '7 is an elevational view of a modificacotter-pin made to engage t e plunger. tion of my device, adapted, however, to coop- The base may consist of a single lug, as shown erate with the latter, as shown in Figure l, and in Figure 9; or the top of the base may be diattached to the steering wheel. vided into several lug members arranged in a Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view on the forked manner, as shown in Figure 6. Said base line 8--8 in Figure 7; while may be attached to the steering wheel by means Figure 9 is a side elevational view of the base of a ring member 21, as shown in Figure l, or of my device, forming an integral part with the the base may be formed integral with the ring steering wheel proper. or base proper of the steering wheel, as shown in Referring more particularly to the drawing, i0 Figure 9. indicates a steering knob, made of any suitable The base shown in Figure 9, and the center This invention relates to new and useful improvements in steeringfacilities of an automobile, and it has more particularly for its object to provide means associated with the steering wheel of a car, whereby safer and more comfortable driving material, and adapted to adjustably assume three independent positions, relative to an automobile steering wheel to which latter said knob is attached.

lug, or fork-member 28 of the base shown in Figure 6, are each provided with two orifices therein, one 29 in the end thereof and one 30 in the side thereof. Said orifices are adapted to receive the lower end of the plunger i8 therein according to the adjusted position of the knob member, as shown in the Figures 2 and 3.

It will clearly appear that the position of the knob member is adjusted by pulling the knob away from its base, whereby the plunger I8 is withdrawn, or disengaged from one of the orifices 29 or 30, respectively, whereas if it is desired to eliminate the use of the knob member, the latter is simply turned downward, as shown in Figure 4.

In Figure 7 has been shown a slight modification of my device. In this view the base, which is substantially similar to-the base shown in Figure 9, is secured to the steering wheel by means of a horizontally positioned metal strip 3!, integral with the said base-lug and screwed on to steering wheel by means of the screws 32.

In said Figure '7, the knob member ID, hereinbefore described, has been omitted, whereas a hood member 33 has been mounted upon the base lug 34, as shown in Figure 8; a screw 35 inserted at the end of said hood member securing the latter to its basic support.

As the basic support, or lug member is of the same construction, whether the hood member 33, or the knob member I is secured thereto, it is evident that, if desired, one may any time remove the hood member and substitute the latter with the knob member, or vice versa.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts, as shown, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not therefore wish to limit myself to the exact construction and arrangement shown and described herein.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. A steering knob for automobile steering wheels, comprising a base formed with orifices therein, a knob member hingedly secured to said base, said knob member consisting of a head, a sleeve detachably secured to the latter, a tubular member slidably disposed in said sleeve, and a spring actuated plunger mounted within the tubular member, and being adapted to engage the orifices in the base, whereby to adjust the knob to predetermined positions.

2. In a device of the class described, a base secured to an automobile steering wheel, said base being formed with orifices therein, a knob member, a sleeve detachably secured to the latter, a tubular member slidably mounted in said sleeve, said tubular member being formed with depending lugs, whereby to connect said tubular member to the base, a spring actuated plunger mounted within said tubular member, means for securing the plunger in position relative to the latter, said plunger being adapted to engage the orifices in the base, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a device of the class described, a base secured to an automobile steering wheel, said base being formed with orifices therein, a knob member, a sleeve detachably secured to the latter, a tubular member slidably mounted in said sleeve, and means for limiting the movement of the tubular member with respect to the latter, said tubular member being formed with depending lugs, whereby to connect said tubular member to the base, a spring actuated plunger mounted within the tubular member, said plunger being adapted to engage the orifices in the base.

4. A steering knob of the class described. comprising a base formed with orifices therein, a knob member hingedly secured to said base, said knob member consisting of a top portion, a sleeve secured to the latter, a tubular member slidably disposed in said sleeve, said tubular member being formed with depending lugs, whereby to connect the former to the base, means for limiting the movement of said tubular member within the sleeve, a plunger arranged in the tubular member, and being formed with a seat upon the lower part thereof, a spring mounted upon said plunger and abutting said seat, said plunger being adapted to engage the orifices in the base in adjusting the steering knob to a desired position.

5. In a device, as claimed in claim 1, and wherein the base is attached to the steering wheel by means of a ring member.

6. In a device, as claimed in claim 1, and wherein the base it attached to the steering wheel by means of a horizontal lug forming part 0 said base. i

7. An automobile steering knob, comprising a base formed with orifices therein, a knob member turnably attached to said base, means for securing said knob member to the base, said knob member comprising a head portion, a sleeve detachably secured to the latter, a tubular member slidable in said sleeve and formed with an opening in the bottom thereof, a spring actuated plunger mounted in said tubular member and adapted to project through the opening in the latter, means for securing the spring and plunger in proper position, means for limiting the movement of the tubular member relative to' said sleeve, and further means for securing the tubular member to the base substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

HANS P. HANSEN. 

